https://enactingclimatechangeeducation.deakin.edu.au/

What is climate change? What is it not?

Is this weather or climate?

Victoria, Heatwaves & Climate Change - Environment Victoria

Source: The Weather Channel, 2025

Weather vs Climate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBdxDFpDp_k

Neil deGrasse Tyson explains the difference between weather and climate….

Is this weather or climate?

Now that you have watched the video, reflect on your answers.

​

Did you correctly identify the difference between weather and climate?�

Can you correctly label the images below?

Free Stock Photo of Couple enjoying a sunny day in the park | Download Free Images and Free Illustrations (freerangestock.com)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/s1ng0/5644451742

Is this weather or climate?

https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0029/442964/Victorias-Climate-Science-Report-2019.pdf 

How does the climate change? 

Discussion: What affects climate?

​

​

Adapted from: https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0029/442964/Victorias-Climate-Science-Report-2019.pdf 

The Greenhouse effect

The Greenhouse effect

• A greenhouse, with walls and roof of glass, keeps plants inside warm because the glass traps heat in, like a blanket. This is part of the reason cars get very hot in the sun.
• It lets the sun’s rays in, because glass is transparent to visible light, but absorbs the infrared rays emitted by the heated interior so that energy cannot escape.

https://www.wikihow.com/How-Does-a-Greenhouse-Work

​

The Greenhouse effect

• A planet’s atmosphere acts in a similar way to a greenhouse, especially particular ‘greenhouse gases’ like carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour, that have a similar effect to glass in trapping heat in.
• The earth’s atmosphere is just the right composition to keep our temperature in the right zone.

Fun facts!

• Venus’s atmosphere is 96% Carbon Dioxide which means it has an enormous greenhouse effect and is intensely hot.
• Mars has 38% of Earth's gravity – it has a very thin atmosphere and so can’t hold in the heat, like earth, even though it has CO₂ in its atmosphere

​

Earth's Energy Budget | MyNASAData

The enhanced greenhouse effect (Global warming) - OzCoasts

The greenhouse effect

​

NASA's Earth Minute: Gas Problem - YouTube

Importance of Greenhouse effect

​

Why Is Carbon Important? | NASA Climate Kids

Why is the greenhouse effect crucial for life on Earth?

Let's simulate!

PhET Simulation (colorado.edu)

Representational challenge

Represent using diagrams, annotations and words, how the greenhouse effect works to control Earth’s climate.

https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0029/442964/Victorias-Climate-Science-Report-2019.pdf 

The enhanced greenhouse effect

• Human activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, is altering the composition of the atmosphere.
• The extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is absorbing infrared radiation that would otherwise have gone into space, and re-radiating it back to earth, changing the radiation balance.
• This is causing global warming – we are heating up the planet!
• We won’t get to anything like Venus – the amounts of CO₂ are very small, but nevertheless they are making a difference that has a significant effect on our climate.
• Let’s look at how NASA describes this: https://climatekids.nasa.gov/carbon/

​

​

Anthropogenic

​

Relating to human beings

Comes from "geny"- “born or produced".

“having the nature of.”​

anthropogenic

�relating to, or resulting from the influence of human beings on nature

ANTHROPOGENIC Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

What will an increase of 1.5°C look like?

​

​

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/07/climate/ipcc-report-half-degree.html#:~:text=Half%20a%20degree%20may%20not,water%20shortages%20and%20coastal%20flooding.

​

Representational challenge

Modify or add to your previous representation of the greenhouse effect to demonstrate how the enhanced greenhouse effect works to control Earth’s climate.

https://enactingclimatechangeeducation.deakin.edu.au/

What is climate change? What is it not?